Page 164 of Invisible String
“You shared with me that your mom, Lisa, died while in surgery. She was ill. I’m uncertain if it was cancer. Your father died a couple of months before your mom’s surgery. Alejandro was in the military and was supposed to be back for your mom’s surgery. He had taken a leave to watch over you, too. He never made it back. He died in a helicopter crash. You said so many beautiful things about them.” My arms tighten around her, giving her a comforting hug. “I also did some digging after we met up at the cabins to prepare myself with information. In case your adopted parents never spoke the truth to you, I wanted to tell you and have information on hand, so you’d believe me. I was worried you wouldn’t.”
“I would have believed you, Max. Always.”
“I dug up your parents’ records, like the marriage license and the funeral obituary of both of your parents. Your dad’s obituary has a picture of you and your mom. It honors the hero lost. I also have your old birth certificate, and I found out where they are buried.”
She sobs, and it steals the air from my lungs. Her suffering wounds me.
“Never in my life did I think I was adopted. Hell, my siblings don’t look like me. They have my dad’s copper highlights. My mom, why didn’t she tell me? A part of me feels she wanted to. She loved you—” She blinks, then frowns. “She already knew who you were at the cabin, right?”
I close my eyes and nod. “She did. When we were having dinner, you excused yourself to go to the restroom. I asked her why she hadn’t told you. All she said was it wasn’t the time.”
We sit at a popular steakhouse. Jenna glances at me with soft eyes. She is kinder than her husband, that’s for sure. “Honey, how do you like your steak? Rowan and I have been coming for years.” She takes a bite of her steak salad. “This is my favorite.”
I smile at her. “It’s very good. Thank you for the suggestion. It’s a great place.” And it is, although it is quite expensive, but it’s worth seeing Rainey smiling like the world is a perfect place, and nothing can tear us apart.
“I love their steak salads. The cranberries and pecans give it a great chewy crunch.” Rainey says, while giving me those eyes that can set a room on fire.
I’m not a fan of nuts and fruit in my salad, but if that’s what she likes in her salad, then maybe I’ll try it someday.
“I’m glad you joined us, Max,” Jenna says, looking at Rainey and me. It’s hard to sit here knowing the secrets from the past. And Rainey is clueless about it all. I don’t understand how they lied to their daughter. I’m uncertain what they have told her about the life she doesn’t remember. What Rainey has told me is that she’s had a great upbringing. I’ve asked her about her as a small child. She says she remembers going on family vacations. I asked just to get an idea of what Collins drilled in her head.
“Thank you for having me.”
“I’m happy you’re making my Rainey happy.” Jenna’s voice is soft and with a touch of a motherly embrace. Something tells me Rowan is the one behind the lies he keeps from Rainey.
Rainey excuses herself to the restroom. My gaze goes to Jenna. “Thank you for inviting me. But, Jenna, why doesn’t she know? Why lie to her?”
She is silent for some time, like she’s holding something back and can’t say it. I keep quiet.
She finally answers me. “It just hasn’t been the right time. Rowan…” She shakes her head. “It just hasn’t been the right time.”
I nod. She’s twenty-one, and there have been several times they could have told her. “I understand,” I simply say. Jenna is a sweet woman, and I can see how she peers at Rainey like she’s her pride and joy. I’m glad she has that. I’m glad Rainey was fortunate to find a loving home. Despite the betrayal, she’s taken care of. In no time, I know Rowan will be showing up.
The memoriesof that night with Jenna and Rainey ring in my ears. She was a kind woman.
A wave of frustration surges through Rainey, causing her brow to furrow and her lips to press into a thin line. In a sudden burst of irritation, she swings her hand down sharply, her palm connecting with her knee with a resounding slap, the sting echoing her inner turmoil.
“How dare they do this to me? I’m twenty-five fucking years old. It’s not up to them to decide if you’re a trigger or not, or if I want to know about my birth parents. They should have told me at least when I became a teen. My parents didn’t abandon me. They fucking died. You shouldn’t have been mistreated, threatened, and manipulated by Rowan. It was my decision,” she bellows, then stands and kicks an empty box in the room.
Rainey’s warm hands intertwine with mine. I take her downstairs, then to the backyard of my house.
“What are we doing?”
“Hitting the bags.” I made my pool house a mini gym with a ring and punching bags. “You need to relieve all the aggravation you have,” I tell her. “Growing up, that’s what helped me.”
Going through the pile of gloves, I look for the smaller ones I had that will fit her.
“Hands out, sunshine.” My eyes widen when I see her sniffle. “Okay, we don’t have to.”
“No, I want to. It’s not that. It’s that I see it now. You spent years trying to regain my memory. Sunshine, Twizzlers, Daisy. You bought me a dog, for God’s sake. Then you danced with me at the gala to the same song.” Rainey throws her arms around my waist. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Amor mío,look at me?”
Her glassy brown eyes shine.
“It’s me who doesn’t deserve you. You deserve the world, and I’ll make sure you get just that. For now, let’s get these gloves on. Release every emotion on here.” I point to the bag.
Once I secure the boxing gloves onto Rainey’s hands, I position myself behind her, gently guiding her shoulders to square up. Her feet shuffle into place as I adjust her stance, ensuring one foot is slightly ahead of the other for balance. I demonstrate how to bend her knees just a touch and keep her fists up, protecting her face. She punches the bag while I hold it slightly, so it doesn’t come back and knock her out.
